THE "SUMMA THEOLOGICA"

Q.25. ART. 3 THE " SUMMA THEOLOGICA " 350
however,thansparingand havingmercy;forexample,to
createanotherworld,and thelike.ThereforeGod isnot
omnipotent.
Obj. 4. Further, upon the text, God hath made foolish
the wisdom of this world (z Cor. i. 2o), a gloss says: God
hath made the wisdom of this worldfoolish,* by showing those
things to bapossible which it judges to beimpossible. Whence
it would seem that nothing is to be Judged possible or impossible
in reference to inferior causes, as the wisdom of
this world judges them; but in reference to the divine
power. If God, then, were omnipotent, all things would
be possible; nothing, therefore, impossible. But if we take
away the impossible, then we destroy also the necessary;
for what necessarily existsis impossible not to exist. Therefore
there would be nothing at all that is necessary in things
if God were omnipotent. But this is an impossibility.
Therefore God is not omnipotent.
On the contrary, It is said: No word shall be impossible
wi_h God (Luke i. 37).
I answer that, All confess that God is omnipotent; but
it seems difficult to explain in what His omnipotence precisely
consists: for there may be a doubt as to the precise meaning
of the word " all " when we say that God can do all things.
If, however, we consider the matter aright, since power is said
in reference to possible things, this phrase, God can do all
things, is rightly understood to mean that God can do all
things that are possible; and for this reason He is said to be
omnipotent. Now according to the Philosopher (Maaph.
v. I7), a thing is said to be possible in two ways. First in
relation to some power, thus whatever is subject to human
power is said to be possible to man. Secondly absolutely,
on account of the relation in which the very terms stand to
each other. Now God cannot be said to be omnipotent
through being able to do all things that are possible to created
nature; for the divine power extends farther than that.
If, however, we were to say that God is omnipotent because
He can do all things that are possible to His power, there
* Vulg., Hath not God_eta'.